Maps & Atlases have been a slowly productive quartet throughout the past half-decade, releasing a handful of EPs and only one full-length, Perch Patchwork (2010). Now, the group brings us their sophomore LP on Barsuk Records, Beware and Be Grateful, a collection of busy rock songs influenced by the math-rock that has typified a particular subsection of music associated with the band’s hometown of Chicago.
While Beware and Be Grateful can’t be called a “headphones album,” listening in this way does provide rewards, as the subtle background loops, atmospheric sounds, walking bass lines, and stereo separation production emerge more clearly. Maps & Atlases are a band carefully attuned to small details. After lead singer Dave Davison belts out the lyrics that serve as the opener’s title, “When you are old and graaaayyyy,” the song fades into the second track with a single, repeatedly plucked note. It’s a sentiment that is appreciated, since the art of the album loses ground each year in favor of more accessible single serving downloads.
Overall, the album is inescapably fun and energetic, full of quick changes, catchy beats, and guitar hooks on top of guitar hooks. The band shifts styles often, not only from song to song, but within songs themselves. “Remote and Dark Years” sometimes feels like 80s synth-pop, but has the talky lyric delivery of a folk song. “Vampires” falls somewhere between surf and country, and includes some nice minor changes and a wonderfully nuanced bridge. Most importantly, the song has a full stop that kills, always an impressive achievement. The frantic guitar notes for “Bugs” fittingly recalls a scurrying pile of a million ants.
The songs of Beware and Be Grateful are methodically considered, carefully produced, and expertly played. The busy and relentless music won’t sit well with everyone, but by the same token, it will always find a steadfast group of fans. When we saw the band at SXSW, they put on one of the most novel performances of the festival in part because of their engrossed fans, who danced unabashedly and sang along. What’s for sure is that Maps & Atlases defy contemporary indie’s insistence on simple and bare instrumentation, and serve as a sign that the torch of the complex musical styling they carry hasn’t gone out.
